Highlands is a very small coastal borough (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of New Jersey. With a population of 4,620 people and two associated neighborhoods, Highlands is the 331st largest community in New Jersey.
Housing costs in Highlands are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in New Jersey.
There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in Highlands, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.
Of important note, Highlands is also a borough of artists. Highlands has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Highlands’s character.
Also of interest is that Highlands has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 17.05% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, Highlands is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.
Highlands is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
In Highlands, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 34.77 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.
Despite being a small borough, Highlands has a lot of people using a ferryboat to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on a ferryboat are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.
The citizens of Highlands are among the most well-educated in the nation: 49.67% of adults in Highlands have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.
The per capita income in Highlands in 2022 was $72,422, which is upper middle income relative to New Jersey, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $289,688 for a family of four.
Highlands is a somewhat ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call Highlands home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Highlands residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Highlands include Italian, German, Irish, English, and Scottish.
The most common language spoken in Highlands is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.